George Ferguson: Hoops on the Hi-Line just gets better and better

Just when you think basketball in our area couldn't get more exciting it did.

On the final weekend of the 2021-2022 high school basketball season, the teams from across the Hi-Line didn't disappoint.

Of course, the Havre High girls were, and continue to be, the main attraction. And with their 37-30 win over Billings Central Saturday night in Missoula, the Blue Ponies won back-to-back state championships for the second time in four years. It was a remarkable feat, especially considering the challenge of upending Billings Central, which had beaten Havre twice during the season.

Havre, though, showed so much heart and determination in winning Saturday night, and of course, the Blue Ponies are led by head coach Dustin Kraske, who has engineered one of the true girls basketball dynasties in modern Montana history.

So congrats to the Ponies. What an amazing run you all had again this season.

Havre, though, didn't have the state championship game stage to itself Saturday night.

In Bozeman, the Harlem boys finished runners-up to Three Forks at the Class B state tournament. One of the truly amazing stories from this season, the Wildcats had an incredible weekend, winning their first-round game in double overtime, then shocking Class B favorite Lodge Grass Friday night. That win may have taken its toll on the Wildcats, who couldn't catch Three Forks in the championship game, but the loss does not diminish the incredible journey Harlem went on the in postseason - Harlem's greatest postseason since they won the 2002 Class B state title.

Meanwhile, in Great Falls Saturday night, the Box Elder Bears fell eight points shy of capturing another Class C girls state championship. The Bears battled eventual champion, and Northern C rival Roy-Winifred, right to the end in front of a huge crowd inside the Four Season Arena. But it wasn't to be as the Outlaws held off the Bears in a championship game for the second time in three weeks.

Still, it was such a special season for Box Elder, led by its five seniors, and head coach Joel Rosette, who took over the team midway through the year. The Bears went through a ton of adversity, but still managed to reach the biggest game in high school basketball.

And it was a social weekend all the way around.

In all, five area teams reached state tournaments this year, including the Havre High boys. The Blue Ponies made it to state for the first time since 2016, and head coach Walynn Burgess' club won its first game in Missoula, which will certainly be a building block for many state tourneys to come.

The Harlem girls also went back to state for the first time in three years, making it a very special week for that school, and the community of Harlem as the Wildcats made their presence felt at Brick Breeden Fieldhouse.

Yes, this past weekend just goes to prove that, while the players, the teams and even coaches change each season, one thing that never changes is just how good the basketball is in our coverage area. It's so good in fact that, we had more teams reach the state tournament this year than we could actually physically cover. Unfortunately, the two of us on our staff couldn't be in three towns on the same night.

But, that fact is also a testament to just how good basketball is in these parts. And, after 20-plus years of covering high schools hoops for the Havre Daily News, it would be silly of me to think that next March won't be just as good as this last weekend was.

No, I know it will.